Taming the Wolfbat
by Adelaide 'Adell' Peirce
Summary: When she agreed to be the White Fall Wolfbats's Firebender, she didn't know that she had joined a bunch of cheaters... but, yet, she can't help but grow fond of the pretty boy, Captain Tahno. Wolfbat!Korra AU Tahorra
1. Chapter 1: Little Rabaroo

_About the story: _This is an AU where Korra meets up and joins the White Falls Wolfbats instead of the Future Industries Fire Ferrets.

_Disclaimer: _The author does not have ownership over The Legend of Korra or any of its characters, locations and such; they belong to Nickelodeon Animation Studios. This fanfiction, however, does belong to her. If she did own the show, Tahno x Korra and a one sided Amon x Korra would be very, very canon (although there's still hope that Tahno x Korra will happen in the show!).

_Warning: _Violence, sexual themes and other things that would warrant a warning. Rated M more for violence then smut… but will probably have smut later on.

_Pairings: _(Major) Tahno x Korra; (Minor) Bolin x Korra, Mako x Asami and (one-sided) Amon x Korra

_Author's Notes: _I tried to make them in character as possible, so I hope you like this. I will try to stay true to the show while still keeping it AU. I'll stop blabbing and get on with the story now.

* * *

_**Taming the Wolfbat**_

_**Chapter 1: **__Little Rabaroo_

She was sick and tired of being confined at the Air Temple Island – it was no different from when she was stuck inside the walls of the Southern Water Tribe compound with White Lotus guards watching her every move. Why couldn't they understand that, as the Avatar, she wasn't some fragile thing that they needed to lock up in a cage, to hide from the world? It didn't help at all that Master Tenzin wouldn't even let her listen to a pro-bending match on the radio…

But she figured that what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. And she was resolved to go ahead as she planned when she snuck by one of the guards and dove into the waters, heading towards the direction of Republic City – or to the pro-bending arena to be exact. Weaving and bobbing through the waters, she spotted her entrance and propelled herself up and out of the water through an open window, bending the water out of her clothes and hair while she was at it.

Down one hall and up another, she only wandered around the building for a minute or two before she spotted a room. It was filled with weights of all shapes and sizes, training posts and a large net off to one side, probably to catch the stone disks for Earthbender training. No one was training though, the place was quiet and empty; the pro-benders were probably at their match alrea-

"Hey, what are you doing in my gym?" a gruff voice told her, making her whir around to face an old, well built man with a head of white hair held back in a tie. He looked absolute infuriated at catching a trespasser apparently and started to accuse her of using the place without paying even as she tried her best, claiming that she was merely lost and looking for the bathroom. Still, he would not buy her excuses and threatened to call security on the girl.

She was seriously considering just running away from the old man, really, how fast could he be? But it seemed she got lucky today as a savior arrived, in the form of a guy.

Said guy was a pale teen with a pointed face and inky black, wavy hair swept off to the right side of his face which, honestly, she thought made him a tad ridiculous looking. But, nonetheless, she was grateful for the save. He was tall, lean and lanky, wore an earth colored pro-bender uniform and had his helmet tucked under one arm, the other high up in a casual wave.

"Heyyy, there you are my _little Rabaroo_," the guy drawled, walking over to them and placing her arm on her shoulder and pulling the girl closer to him. "Don't worry old man, she's together with me."

Korra grinned awkwardly as she quickly interjected; "Oh, we're not together-together! More like friends."

The guy seemed to frown a bit when she said this but the smile was plastered on his face once more as he leaned in and whispered huskily; "Oh, just friends; you sure you don't want to be more than that?"

"Yeah, pretty sure we're just friends, _pretty boy_."

But the old man snapped impatiently, "I don't care what you two are; I got work to do!" he told them with a dismissive wave as he turned around, heaving one of the larger weights and throwing it to the side.

And that was that, as the guy steered her out of the gym and down another hall, an awkward silence permeating the air between them.

* * *

Slow start, I swear I'll have more in the next few days. Read and review if you want more!


	2. Chapter 2: Out of the Fire

_Author's Notes: _Oh wow, I am overwhelmed by the number of people who have reviewed and put this on Story Alert. Thank you for the interest and support in the story; this makes me more pumped and really helps me in writing! The story is in no one's specific point of view but I guess this chapter is mostly from Tahno's standpoint even if it keeps a third person point of view? Did that make sense?

ReaperDuckling: I'm glad somebody noticed that! And some people might find the (one-sided) Amon x Korra pairing listed in chapter one weird but it won't be, hopefully, too OOC when we get to it.

Rindou Kiara: Yeah, I noticed that she is most at home with firebending in the show, probably because of her fiery personality, so it makes sense for her to be a firebender in a pro-bending team right?

Moni: Yeah, I know Tahno is a waterbender but the White Falls Wolfbats' uniform is earth colored; I'm sorry if there was some confusion with that part.

Arroba Dotcom, Athena Sapphire Night, Seekay, Pinky Prattle, destroying tokyo, meeka: Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

_**Taming the Wolfbat**_

_**Chapter 2: **__Out of the Fire_

"_Yeah, pretty sure we're just friends, pretty boy."_

Tahno was confused, to say the least, with this girl but kept calm as he led her towards the arena proper. You'd think the girl would swoon at the thought of being together with _the _Tahno especially after saving her from that old man but the girl had been adamant about them being in a non-romantic was only one logical explanation to this: "You're new around here, aren't you?"

Her eyes glanced at the pro-bender; "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, just a hunch," he said with a nonchalant shrug before opening a door with a grin. "Well, here we are – best seats in the house to watch the best pro-bending team in the entire world: the White Fall Wolfbats."

When the door opened, Korra couldn't help as her eyes went wide and she quickly rushed over to the railings with awe clearly written on her face. The door had led them to a pro-bender locker room, situated on the same level and offering a great view of the playing field. Another pro-bender, an earth bender, stood in the corner of the room and gave them a curt nod before returning to rummage in his locker.

"Whoaaa – this is A-MA-ZING!" she gasped out loud with an infectious grin as she looked back at the guy. Then a look of realization hit her; "Wait; you're a member of the Wolfbats? Three time defending champion, _the_ Wolfbats? This is so cool; I get to see the best of the best in action!" Korra said, punching the air in front of her enthusiastically.

Watching this girl made the guy cross his arm, honestly amused at how… innocent and naïve this girl seemed to be. "Not just _a_ member, I happen to be _the _Captain of _the_ Wolfbats," he replied with a haughty grin, putting his free hand on his hip, wondering if this girl would finally realize who he was. And maybe this time, she would swoon and change her mind about being more than friends while she was at it.

"Oh, you're Tahbo! I heard you play on the radio!" or tried to at least, until Tenzin showed up and ruined all the fun…

Tahbo… What? That wasn't even a name. If it was a name, it was a lame one and he was anything _but_ lame.

"It's Tah_no_, Tah_no_, my _little Rabaroo_, but I'll forgive you just because you're cute," he said, hiding his annoyance well, and mentally cheered in triumph when he saw he at least managed to make the girl blush in embarassment. _No need to lose it, not before a match_, he told himself as he smoothed out his hair, a habit he did to calm himself down.

Their little exchange was interrupted though as the door to the locker room swung open once more and a guy with a uniform identical to his walked in, helmets him as the fire bender of the pro-bending team. The earth bender in the corner kept quiet, giving no acknowledgement of his arrival as he did with Tahno, as the fire bender stared at the team Captain and let his eyes wander over to the girl with him.

His arrival seemed to fill the small room's air with animosity, making Korra uneasy as she kept quiet, waiting to see what would happen.

"Another fangirl, _Tahno_?" the fire bender said in a calm tone although the way he spoke the name seemed to have a hint of disgust to it and the glare he was shooting at the water bender was anything but calm.

Tahno, ever so unaffected by this show of hostility from his teammate shrugged; "Just a friend, Shaozu," he informed him with a smile at the girl who smiled weakly back.

That answer did nothing to wipe the glare off Shaozu's face as he glanced at Korra once more and huffed. "Right, a friend, just like your other _friends_," he hissed, ending that conversation as he went to his locker and suited up for their match, ignoring how the earth bender inched away from him when he got close, letting the silence reign on.. at least, not for long.

"What's his problem?" Korra hissed with a look his way, turning to Tahno for an answer.

Again, Tahno shrugged – he was doing that a lot today, wasn't he? – and smiled as he placed his arms around the girl who was still gripping the edge of the railings. "Nothing to worry your cute, little head over; you know how hot tempered fire benders are. I hope his hot head doesn't scare you off though; stick around to watch the match and after to see how a real pro bends."

Korra nodded, figuring he was right. She wouldn't butt into a personal affair when she just met them anyway. Her eyes went over when a platform connecting the playing field and the locker room started to appear and jumped up in shock when the earth bender, who had been quiet thus far, stood up and spoke; "We're up." He walked by them and on the field without another word.

"Not much of a talker is he?" the girl mused, echoing the amused smile on Tahno's face who nodded, figuring he had done enough shrugging for one day.

"That's Ming for you but you heard him, we're up," he said, removing his arm from Korra's shoulder and sauntered forward, stopping to look back at the girl… the girl in the Water Tribe outfit, the girl who didn't swoon at his advances and even got his name wrong. "I forgot to ask; what is the name of the fine lady I will be dedicating this match to?"

The girl just rolled her eyes and smiled; "It's Korra, _pretty boy_! You better knock them out," she shouted at him, punching her fist in the air as a salute.

_Korra_… That sounded… familiar. Tahno mulled over it but looked away from the girl, raising a brow at Shaozu, a silent order for him to follow, and he soon enough stood up from his seat to head out as well. Seeing that, he looked away, focusing back to the arena which made him miss the wide eyed look on the girl's face, on Korra's face when Shaozu bumped shoulders with her on the way to the playing field and hissed the word '_slut_' angrily in her ear.

When Korra managed to recover from it, she glared at the fire bender and hissed back; "Jerk bender." But she didn't let said jerk bender from ruining her mood, no. She was about to see the best pro-bending team in Republic City in an actual pro-bending match and not even Tenzin was going to stop her, no way! "Come on Wolfbats!"

The arena was filled with cheers as the three time reigning champs walked out on the stage while, on the opposite side of the field, the Capital City Catgators stared them down in an intimidating fashion.

That didn't change the fact that the Wolfbats cleaned the floor with them in three minutes flat though.

* * *

I think it's best to end here. I'll try to update the story daily or every other day or so. Updates might slow down when we catch up to the latest episode but, eh.

Fun facts for those interested in the fates of the Fire Ferrets off-screen:

With Hasook abandoning the team, they get a replacement waterbender girl named Malina (who is the name of the Korra cosplayer from the show during the final match in And The Winner Is). They met her because she was a big fan of their team and showed some basic talent in waterbending and was Hasook's replacement at the last second. They almost lost against the Golden Temple Tigerdillos because of her but managed and have started to train her vigorously to at least stand a chance; she's a promising waterbender but is no match to Korra or even Tahno. Having a really blue waterbender, they struggle but manage in the end, relying heavily on the two brothers.

They encounter the same pro-bendings team as they do in the show: Golden Temple Tigerdillos, Pinnacle Palace Platypus Bears, Red Sand Rabaroos, Black Quarry Boarcupines, Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps and – in the finals, the White Falls Wolfbats.

Meanwhile the White Falls Wolfbats faced the Capital City Catgators this chapter and will be facing the Kolau Komodo Rhinos, the Laogai Lion Vultures, the Xiao Yao Zebra Frogs, the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles and, finally, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets.

Another fun fact: Tahbo or "tabo" in my language means a pail for water, I thought it'd be fitting.


	3. Chapter 3: Into the Frying Pan

_Author's Notes: _I am so energized to write whenever I see lovely reviews for all you lovely people! I was going to update a bit earlier but I felt sick and slept in the whole day and woke up late, ending up in me writing this down later than scheduled. But this was the first thing I did (actually the only thing I did aside from stare at the monitor), even forgetting to eat the whole day until I finished, I'm really sorry! Chapter 4 will be a bit late as well as I will be going to school to enroll for the next semester.

Sapphy Valentine: Hm, I guess it is OOC if you compare it to the show but if you think about it, I kept it as close to the show as possible without being weird. And the only reason Korra is nicer here than in the show is because they met on better terms and without Bolin saying that "Tahno is a nasty character". So you can see them meeting on a clean slate like terms? But if you mean Korra blushing in embarrassment is OOC, well I think it's the whole innocent, country girl thing she's got going on and Tahno openly flirting with her unlike Bolin who made friends first and tried to pursue a relationship later on. And I'm flattered you think I should be in charge of LoK but without the current owners, we wouldn't have such a great show! Kudos to them! I still wish they would make Tahno x Korra canon though.

Rindou Kiara: The reason why Shaozu hate's Korra (or any girl near Tahno to be more precise) will be seen soon. As for cheating or not on the ring, well, you'll see, I got it all planned out in my head now really until the latest episode, its writing it down that is hard.

Angelica: I'm glad I'm not the only one from the Philippines that love this ship! It would be awesome if there would be Tahno x Korra cosplayers at any conventions haha, but I haven't attended them in years. I'd love to do LoK cosplays but I do not have the body type for it.

Kereea: Ah, but Korra doesn't know that they are cheating, does she? *winks*

destroying tokyo: I will try to keep up the pace but no promises because school is starting once more.

ladybearington, anon, sillygabby: Thanks for the review! They always get me motivated even if it's a simple review saying that you want to read more; warms my heart to know people like my story. I would skip if it wasn't so against my nature not to mention doing so might make me throw up what little food is in my stomach right now.

everyone: Maybe when the story progresses, people will like a contest with the prizes as cameo in the story? But maybe not yet, we just started haven't we? *laughs* I think I got carried away with my notes but I'm just happy with the positive reception. And I'm happy with this chapter, it's longer (and more action filled) than the first two and I hope I can keep this up!

* * *

_**Taming the Wolfbat**_

_**Chapter 3: **__Into the Frying Pan_

"You guys were incredible out there; and a one round knockout in three minutes? That has to be a record or something!" Korra said giddy at what she had seen on the field. The way the Wolfbats flipped and spun, avoiding all their opponents' attacks and the teamwork between Tahno and Ming, putting rocks in their water attacks was ingenious! Even Shaozu, the jerk bender, was great even if he did falter a bit during the match.

Tahno smirked and obviously reveled in the praise; "Yeahhh, it was a good match but not really a personal best; our last match only lasted two minutes. But I guess _Shaozu_ doesn't have his head in the game that we had to cover for his butt," he drawled with a fleeting glance at the fire bender who just shut up, gritted his teeth and threw his helmet into the locker.

Korra glanced awkwardly at the hot head too but didn't linger too long as she looked back at Tahno, "Anyway, I've been immersed in bending my entire life but I never learned how to move like that. It's like there's a whole new style here; think you could show me a few tricks? I'm a topnotch water bender if I do say so myself but I only know the traditional styles of bending," she smiled enthusiastically.

He watched as the girl went into a fighting stance, trying to mimic the one he had been using not too long ago. "Why not? It'd be my pleasure to have private lessons with a pretty girl such as yourself," he nodded, earning another cute, embarrassed blush from the Water Tribe girl. Tahno thought the amusement this Korra girl was giving him made up entirely for her saying his name wrong or not fawning at him like most other girls did – but, Tahno wouldn't admit it out loud, this was a bit refreshing. "Anyway, we'll be changing so why don't you wait for us outside? Unless you think you'll like what you see," he smirked, lifting his shirt teasingly as the girl lifted both hands up in a shrug and was about to head for the door when the sound of wood scraping on stone broke the peace though as Shaozu stood up from his seat, unable to watch the two any longer.

"Why don't you get a room, Tahno? You're always like this, one girl after another, it's _disgusting_," he sneered, walking towards them as he went around Korra, looking down at her. "Don't tell me you'll be dumping this girl too like you did with Sho? Such a sweet, innocent girl to be with the Wolfbat Tahno; you're going to break her heart. But maybe you're not such a sweet, innocent girl, huh, _slut_?" he hissed angrily in her ear, glowering, when a splash of water smacked him in the face.

Korra glared back at him, furious, another water whip ready to smack the fire bender. "What the hell are you talking about, jerk?" she spat angrily, not backing down as Shaozu summoned a ball of flame in his hands when Tahno moved to stop him, grabbing him by the wrist.

"Oh, please, Shaozu, you're honestly still mad at me for gently dumping your sister? That was two weeks ago, get over it – your sister has, I don't see her being a whiny bitch like you. If you're letting such a small, trivial matter affect your performance in the ring, then maybe we need to find a replacement," the water bender sighed, forcing the fire bender to put his hand down. When it looked like Shaozu wouldn't be throwing any fireballs any time soon, he flipped his hair and crossed his arms. "I'll take care of this _little Rabaroo_ so why don't you step out and-"

"Like hell I will! That asshole just called me a slut when he doesn't even know a thing about me. He better apologize if he knows what's good for him!" the girl cut in quickly, cracking her knuckles in a threatening manner which would have worked if the fire bender wasn't a head taller than she was, not to mention the fact that he was a pro-bending champion.

Oh, but then again, Korra was… well.

Shaozu glared at Tahno, openly defiant but made an annoyed sound and pushed past them out of the locker room. "As if you can find another fire bender good enough; I'll see you guys later at Narook's," he laughed in a mocking manner before leaving without another look, leaving only a tense room behind.

Seething, Korra returned the water into the satchel hanging by her belt and huffed, placing her hands on her hips as she glared holes at the door and stuck her bottom lip out in an annoyed pout.

Then, Ming spoke: "He is very emotional."

"Yeppp." Korra rolled her eyes and looked back at Tahno once more.

"Anyway, why don't you join us for some noodles at Narook's, Korra? We can talk more about pro-bending there," he said with an exhausted and airy gesture. But the name Korra nagged him; why did it seem so familiar as if he heard it somewhere before? Ah, but he couldn't be bothered with it – that Shaozu ruined his good mood.

"But what about showing me those moves, hm _pretty boy_?"

Tahno looked at the girl with a cocky smirk; "Next time, _little Rabaroo_." He lifted his shirt up when the girl refused to budge, showing her his lean and pale chest and was well built for someone of his body type. "So are you going to wait outside, because I need to take off my pants too," he chuckled, seeing the red rise up to Korra's cheeks as she shot him a look and hurried out.

"She's weird…" Ming commented and Tahno couldn't help but agree.

Half an hour later, Korra and the Wolfbats, Tahno and Ming, arrived at Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, home to very authentic and delicious Southern Water Tribe cuisine (at least Korra honestly thought so later on once she got a taste of their noodles). They had done small talk on the way there, Tahno mostly boasting about their pro-bending achievements and answering Korra's question about the sport and, well, Ming really didn't talk much. It was a brief ice breaker while the jerk bender still wasn't with them.

Shaozu was already waiting there with a scowl on his face and both hands shoved in his pockets as he sat down at their usual table and grunted, "I'm surprised you're going to be fine with just one girl tonight. She's not even that pretty," he mumbled the last part before they ordered three bowls of noodles, Tahno just ordering a cup of tea for himself, Korra choosing to block out the jerk bender's words.

"So you guys hang out here often, huh?" Korra asked Tahno, not wanting to talk to Shaozu and figuring she wouldn't get much talking to Ming. She looked around the restaurant and took in the traditional Water Tribe decorations, animal skins and emblems, all over the place. There was also an amused look on her face when she spotted posters of Tahno plastered over the walls of their private booth which was enough of an answer for her question.

The male water bender nodded and did a grand gesture, waving one hand in a sweeping motion as if gesturing to the entire establishment as he spoke: "You could say this is where it all started; the humble beginnings of the now legendary White Falls Wolfbats. The three of us met at this very table in this very restaurant when we chose to form the team three years ago and we've been champions ever since; such fond memories," he said with a dramatic choked sob, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye as he said this.

"Makes me kinda regret sitting with the two of you back then," Shaozu mumbled, putting his hand on his chin with his elbow resting on the table in front of him with a glance at their illustrious team captain. His eyes wandered everywhere else after that, refusing to look at Tahno or even the posters of Tahno – which proved difficult to do considering the place was covered in them – so he just resolved to glare at the Water Tribe girl instead.

The air was thick, as thick as the noodles when they arrived as they ate (well, in Tahno's case drank) in silence. At least, as silent as it could get without Shaozu letting out annoying sighs every now and then… And they were silent as they walked out of the noodle shop as well.

Until Korra couldn't take it anymore and stopped in her tracks and turned around, prodding the fire bender in the chest. "What the hell is your problem asshole? You're seriously getting on my nerves; first, you call me a slut and then you pick a fight with your friends over a little break up? And you keep complaining when you should be glad you're on one of the greatest teams in pro-bending history!" she huffed, crossing her arms as the fire bender just looked at her with the same expression as before: hatred mixed with the sense as if she was beneath him. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be glad to be in a great team such as the Wolfbats!"

"As if some naïve, country girl like you could survive on the playing field; you'd have your small ass handed to you in ten seconds," Shaozu scoffed at the girl who boiled at his words, especially when he glowered back at him with a challenging air. "I've fried bigger fish then a little water bender than you girl."

Korra puffed her chest out and raised her chin, meeting the guy with a defiant look; "Want to go toe-to-toe with me, jerk bender?"

"Now chill out you two-" Tahno made to calm them down but was too late when Shaozu jumped back and shot a fireball at Korra who masterfully extinguished it and protecting herself with a wall, pulling the puddle of water from the ground before retaliating with a continuous stream of water, hosing Shaozu and pushing him back.

Undeterred, the fire bender ran up the nearest wall, using the momentum to gain height and spin in mid air, flames at his heels as he tried to kick his opponent. The attack singed the tip of her ponytails as she ducked forward, rushing past him to attack from behind while he was still vulnerable. Of course, it wasn't easy with the other party being a skilled pro-bender as he quickly turned and landed deftly on his feet, blocking the jet of water with his elbow, letting the water split into two as it flowed past him.

The other two watched, Ming merely silent as he observed and Tahno making sure his jaw wasn't dropping. This girl was a good water bender. And he didn't know if he should be cheering for his team mate, no matter how much of a loser he was acting, or for the Korra girl. Until flames almost burned his hair that is, which he was quite sure the guy was doing on purpose.

Korra sent one water whip after another in anger, Shaozu merely side stepping them and countering as flames quickly spouted with each quick punch he did. They were almost evenly matched – almost, Korra's elemental advantage, with how water snuffed out the flames, made up for the fact that her hot temper blinded her and made her miss the pro-bender who was in the zone.

But it could only last so long until Korra just truly lost her temper and shouted; "Enough!" and threw the fireball aimed at her away.

Shaozu stopped – along with everything else, figuratively. They were stunned to say the least that even Ming, who looked calm and collected and just uninterested in everything had his jaw hanging as they stared.

"Did you just fire bend?" the fire bender said incredulously, forgetting that they had been in the middle of the fight, sweat evident on his brow as he paled.

But once he recovered from his initial shock, Tahno smirked and crossed his arms; "How'd you like to be Shaozu's replacement _little Rabaroo_… or should I say _Uh_-vatar Korra?"

* * *

I'm not sure but Shaozu means groupless? It's another reason why I chose Korra to replace him aside from the fact that she really uses fire bending a lot in the show. Shaozu and Ming weren't really fully built in the show and, since Korra is with the Wolfbats, I thought I'd give them some back story:

Shaozu is the eldest of two siblings, having a younger sister named Sho who was a big fan of Tahno and dated him briefly but was dumped after a night in bed doing _it_. Shaozu is grateful for Tahno for giving him his big break in pro-bending and all, being a prestigious member of the champion team especially since he is the only one supporting the two of them with the money he wins in the tournament. But family is family and no one messes with his little sister. He is the youngest of the three and is very emotional. We'll probably see more of the fire bender in later chapters…

Meanwhile, Ming, also known as the quiet type of the group, used to work with the Triple Threat Triads until he met Tahno and the water bender so the potential in the earth bender (not to mention his lack of reluctance to do whatever it takes to succeed). Seeing as pro-bending is safer than working for the mafia, he joined the Wolfbats. He is the eldest and the wisest of the three Wolfbats and is a big brother figure to Shaozu and Tahno.

Fun fact: One of my friends read this before I published it and she was like 'lol, add Korra x Shaozu nao'…


	4. Chapter 4: Closer to the Edge

_Author's Notes: _I'm so sorry for the super late update! I was really sick and then , when I got better, I had to catch up on my part time work and on my school work! On top of that, my grandfather was admitted into the ICU and I had to watch over him! I actually still am watching him since he's staying at our home while he recovers. Really sorry! Life's been a pain. I did this chapter while in class (lol priorities).

In happier news, I am surprised at the amount of alerts I am getting for this. It makes me so happy and motivated! I think I even got a lot of PMs threatening/pleading me to update. I'll still be replying to reviews as usual but I'll be placing them at the footer so you guys can just go ahead and get to reading! More than a month since I update? Eck!

And for 30 Second to Mars fans, yes, the chapter is titled after their song 'Closer to the Edge'.

_Time to go down in flames and I'm taking you._

* * *

_**Taming the Wolfbat**_

_**Chapter 4: **__Closer to the Edge_

Oh, for Aang's sake, what the heck was she doing here? Tenzin is going to kill her; this felt all so wrong yet so right… She didn't know what made her decide to say yes, no idea at all, yet here she was now in the Wolfbat's locker room as they prepared for their match against the Kolau Komodo Rhinos.

But, even with all her worry, she wouldn't deny that she was excited.

Ming had hauled Tahno out of the locker room to let Korra suit up first and she didn't want to keep them waiting so she hurried to fix her uniform. She was fixing her fire bender belt when the door opened, making her look around to see Tahno who was leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed on. "Man, I don't know whether to be jealous or happy that you make that uniform look good – even better than me, _Uh_-vatar," he drawled with a lopsided grin before straightening himself out to move out of the way as Ming headed for his locker to get his own uniform.

"Oh don't be so hard on yourself _Tahbo_; you look good in your uniform too. But that'll change if you don't stop calling me _Uh_-vatar," the girl shot back with a roll of her eyes and with her hands on her hips.

Tahno was about to retort when Ming cut in: "Don't threaten the boy's face, Korra, it's almost all he has," he said this with a straight face – or at least they imagined it was a straight face as all they could see was his back. Korra was cracking up by then that Tahno couldn't even get a word in between her laughter and didn't get the chance when the referee started to call for them.

Ming stood up with a small smile following as Tahno made his way to the platform that would lead them to the ring. Korra couldn't help but do the same as well when their team leader said three simple words: "It's show time."

As they were brought closer to the playing field, they were met with cheers and shouts from the audience as the spotlight shone down on them. The roar of the crowd was almost deafening, growing louder than it had been when the opposing team was introduced, as fans of all shapes and sizes were gathered to watch the Wolfbats play. There were some boos from the crowd, apparently fans of Shaozu who were dismayed by the replacement, but it was nothing at all compared to the rest, drowned out by the adoration. Tahno obviously reveled in the attention but wasn't the type to make himself look silly by waving his arms around as he just put up his chin and smiled at his fans. While Ming made a more open, welcoming gesture as he greeted his fans with open arms. Korra figured it was fine to wave too – even if they didn't know who she was, they'll know her name by the time this match ends.

A booming voice cut through the tide of noise though as Shinobi Shiro spoke into the microphone: "It seems that the Wolfbats have a new fire bender! After getting the championship title three years in a row with Shaozu, I wonder what happened and how this new fire bender will compare? Only time will tell but this little girl must be good to be chosen by Tahno! A risky move on the champions part but we'll trust their choice!"

Korra's jaw tightened at being called a little girl and Ming might have mistaken this for nervousness when he gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Korra, just keep your feet on the ground, knock them off the back of the ring, only bend fire and do your best. Me and Tahno will do the rest, alright?" he told her with a nudge, Korra returning the smile with a nod.

"You got it, _Mingy_."

When the cheering died down a little, the two teams stepped forward, facing their respective element counterpart. Korra was looking up at a burly, old fire bender who just exuded an intimidating aura but that didn't make the girl back down as she only glared back.

"Players! Are you ready?" the referee asked. And there was the whistle with both teams wasting no time in trying to out bend the other.

Korra was quick to dole out the fireballs; she didn't need to get water from the throughs or earth from any of the disc dispensers like the other members of her team had to which meant she could keep going for as long as she could. She couldn't fathom how they would be able to bend with such limited resources and was kind of glad that she was the fire bender of the team.

It was apparent in their performance that Tahno and Ming had been working together for a long time with how they worked fluidly together. The way they ducked and weaved, bending the elements in a flurry of assault. From the corner of her eye, she saw as Tahno froze water under one of their opponent's feet and ducked as he let Ming leap frog over him, throwing a disc at the same target's way. The impact was strong enough to send the guy, the fire bender of the group, skidding out of the zone – out of all the zones, in fact – and into the drink. This was confirmed quickly enough by Shinobi Shiro.

The girl couldn't help but cheer for them but remembered where they were when she had to bend backwards in order to avoid an earth disc sent at her, the thing almost touching the tip of her nose. She quickly snapped back into action and counter attacked with a flaming one-two punch, the earth bender shielding his face as heat licked at his arms. She went to recover her stance and the opposing water bender saw this as an opening, sending a ball of water at her.

The attack would have sent her back a zone or two as well if it weren't for the fact that Tahno jumped in front of her, blocking the attack and rendering it useless with an arm covered in ice. "Keep on your toes, _Little Rabaroo,_" he smirked at her.

Korra made a step back in surprise, only to find Ming had stepped in behind her to make sure she didn't step back into the second zone. Considering the fact that he was a well built guy, it felt as if she had stepped back into a wall; it was surprisingly really how fast and agile he could move which showed how great of an athlete the guy was, as far as she could tell.

Before she could even open her mouth to thank them or to say something witty retort in reply, the two had gone back into the game. There was no time for talking or to make up a plan; they just went with what felt right and gave everything they got.

She realized, she ought to do the same.

Letting out a deep breath, she focused on the water bender before her as the two were keen on teaming up on the earth bender. She wasn't put off by it – the two knew how to work together better and she would only get in their way; maybe at a later match, she could join them, but not right now. And besides, she was itching to get back at the guy who tried to knock her back while she wasn't looking.

She had to jump to the side to avoid an oncoming attack at her and used her momentum to return some of her own, feet aflame as she kicked forward balls of fire before landing and doing the same with her fists.

If this was fire bending training back at the compound, she could have finished them in no time but there was a whole different style here and they were only allowed in their zone. It was annoying but that was an okay trade off to be able to play with the best team in the best sport in the history of Republic City or even the world.

Wave after wave, back and forth, she kept going at it with the opposing water bender until the guy suddenly stopped as he ran out of water. Korra couldn't help but grin in a devious way and the man was all too worried with the look in her eye as she let out a big one, knocking him back two solid zones.

"I'll have that then," Tahno suddenly spoke, sending a stream of water at the other water bender to send him into the drink.

Shiro Shinobi's voice boomed again across the stadium, although Korra might have only noticed now that she wasn't focused; "And the Wolfbats won with another knockout folks and make it through the preliminaries! Will they win the tournament this year again with the change in the team line up? Looks like we'll find out won't we but the new fire bender certainly didn't disappoint!"

Korra stuck her lip out at Tahno, her brows scrunched together in annoyance. "I barely got to do anything and I had that guy right where I wanted him," she huffed when a hand planted itself on her head and Ming ruffled her hair.

The Wolfbat water bender shrugged nonchalantly in reply. "You'll get your chance next time, _Kor_ra," Tahno smirked at her only to turn around to run his eyes over the cheering audience.

These made the girl huff and roll her eyes again but she supposed it was just one of his quirks. Ming wanted her to know this as well; "Don't worry about him, he just likes the spotlight."

Tahno looked back at the two, wondering why they weren't joining him in waving to the adoring fans. He had a raised brow and a curious look but that quickly disappeared in a charming smile – a smile that Korra thought was a tiny, bit infectious as it wiped the pout of her face and made her grin as well. This wasn't the time to be mopey anyway, they had won and that's all there is to it.

Except it wasn't. It was much more complicated than that.

By the time she got back to Air Temple Island, it was obvious she was in trouble: "Pardon me everyone, have you seen Korra this evening? She's not in her room."

That was Tenzin, speaking to the Lotus guards – it was by good luck that she hadn't brought Naga and decided to come back home by swimming and sneaking back to her quarters. She could just slip back into the house and tell Tenzin that she was in the bathroom or something… yeah, that will work.

But, for some reason, she felt bad about lying to Tenzin. Not that he would understand why she decided to join the pro-bending tournament anyway. He had made it clear that she couldn't even listen to the sport on the radio, let alone participate in it. Nooo, he would rather make her meditate about how bad she was at air bending.

That thought alone made it clear that she shouldn't let him know at all. It was her secret and it would stay that way.

Of course, she was underestimating the power of being the Avatar…

* * *

More notes: I'm worried this is too short, how long do usual stories go? Also, stupid hands; I keep spelling Tahno as Thano so many times in the story when I first wrote this. And I rewatched the episodes featuring the Wolfbats to see if I forgot something over the time I didn't do anything LoK related and, man, Ming is actually cute! I also had to look up pro-bending rules and, boy, do the Wolfbats cheat!

If any are wondering why Tenzin didn't appear at the ring, well, the match ended so quickly that he wasn't able to catch it on the radio and find out. Heck, she didn't even go into air bender mode. So he doesn't know Korra's in a pro-bending team… which probably means trouble later on. And we're finally done covering the second episode! Woo.

I promise the next update won't take a month! Maybe one, two weeks tops. The next few chapters is a bit harder to do…

Kereea: The last part was like the 'eureka' moment for Tahno but I didn't think there was a need to point it out.

ReaperDuckling, LoveNotes333: Not so fast update this time, I'm so sorry! QWQ

Kigaroo, Ladybearington: Shaozu x Korra was a joke from my friend after reading the 3rd chapter… But it could be a possibility, I guess? Xd And it's a little bit of both! He still holds some friendship with Tahno and wants to protect Korra in a Tsundere way I guess (did I use the right Dere?).

Awkward Seductress: That's basically the plan. AU Divine punishment for Mako?

CocoBeach: That was the original plan actually, Shaozu being jealous of Korra. BUT I didn't want to meet the wrath of people who do not like LGBT relationships. Also, I avoid giving canon characters LGBT sexuality unless it's actually canon, needed for the story or just makes sense to me. Right now, Tahno seems more likely to be bisexual to me than anyone else in the LoK series. Nothing against LGBT as I'm part of that community!

Pinky Prattle, . . ., yaten-loves-taiki, furrycheese521, AlgorNox, XxShyxX, Starshinesoldier, Jess305, anastasiajoy and all the people who subscribed: I hope this chapter would make you forgive me! 8D I'm not that good with action scenes I believe because I'm mostly a horror, psychological kind of writer.

Now, I will go celebrate this victory with a Magnum.


	5. Chapter 5: Trouble Magnets

_Author's Notes: _Wrote this while I had no net for a few days so, sorry if Bolin's dialogue doesn't match the one in the episode, I didn't have a transcript ready! Hope you guys like, there is also a little something something at the end of the chapter! This one is especially long, I think, because I didn't find a proper place to end the chapter in the earlier parts.

Replies to reviews at the footer of the story from now on!

Without further ado, I give you guys, Chapter 5 of Taming the Wolfbat.

* * *

_**Taming the Wolfbat**_

_**Chapter 5: **__Trouble Magnets_

It was already around the afternoon, thank Aang, when the Wolfbats were scheduled for a practice. The time slot they had was great; mornings were evil after all, not to mention they could grab some lunch before practicing and a snack afterwards, if the others were up to it. Because of this though, she had to ask Tenzin to let her off early and move her air bender training in the early morning.

Ikki and Jinora cheered her on as they set the air bender's gates a-spinning with a strong gust of wind. The girl frowned at the thing though, wondering if she should turn it to ashes this time, seeing how easily they had repaired it the first time she torched it. But she calmed herself down, knowing that wouldn't go so swell with Tenzin… "Be the leaf, Korra, be the leaf," she sighed to herself with an annoyed look on her face and sped forward, pushing her way through the gates.

That didn't go too well though. Spun and tossed, she crashed into one wooden gate only to be flung at another, again and again and again. It only ended when she managed to be kicked out of the spinning maze of doom on her face. "Worst. Morning. Ever." She said through gritted teeth as she pushed herself off the ground, grumbling.

She was in no hurry to stand with how her body ached but that all changed as she shot to her feet when she heard what the two air bending daughters were saying especially when the words 'cute' and 'boyfriend' popped up. "If by 'boyfriend' you mean a friend who is a boy, then yes," a familiar voice replied casually, earning giggles from the two.

Korra's eyes widened. "Ming! What're you doing here?" she asked, walking over to the three with a worried look. More worried about the two blabbing than Ming's appearance anyway… "We're not supposed to meet until later yet, aren't we?" she continued, with a warning glance, seeing as she had told Tahno and Ming the other day that no one at the Air Temple knew she was on the Wolfbats. Tahno was confused as to why the Avatar, of all people, wouldn't be allowed to probend and so was Ming but they promised they'll keep it a secret anyway. It was obvious, when she asked of that, that the Wolfbat Team Captain was miffed about not being able to brag that the master of all elements was on their team.

Ming cast her a understanding smile and shrugged; "Yeah, but we're not going to be _meeting_ at the usual place." By _meeting_, he of course meant practicing. The two preteens had another idea of what it meant though…

"Oh, are you going on a date Korra? Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you get a nice outfit if you said so! You should take a shower or you're going to be stinky during your date and your boyfriend might not like you anymore!" Ikki said, just beside herself with a huge grin on her face and her mouth going a mile a minute.

Jinora sighed in exasperation at her little sister's antics and made sure to speak when she was done. "Well then, we wouldn't want to keep you two from your date. We'll keep this a secret from dad to… the best of our abilities?" she smiled wryly, glancing at Ikki, wondering how long before she babbles about this. Ah, well, it was Korra's fault for not hiding his boyfriend better.

Korra felt something though – a twitch in her eye. She wondered if it was possible for it to be permanently there, hoping it wouldn't, but it was a possibility considering the people she was constantly dealing with. "I'll buy you two something if you keep quiet about this, okay?" she sighed but smiled at the two she thought of as younger siblings. She didn't think she could stay mad at them or Meelo forever anyway; darn children and their adorableness.

She waved to the two, Ming saying his goodbyes to the children as well as they headed to another part of the island. Korra figured she'd be able to bring Naga along today, so that she can meet her teammates as well, and it would certainly be better to travel on her than on her foot if they were doing their practices somewhere else.

"Nice kids," the earth bender commented with a smile in his eyes.

"Mhm; you seem like you know a lot about children, _Mingy_. Do you have younger brothers and sisters?" the girl hummed in agreement, putting her hand over her eyes, trying to see where her best friend went.

"Aside from Tahno, Shaozu and Sho? No, not really. I grew up an only child," he replied with a shrug. He was completely calm and at ease, even mentioning the former Wolfbat firebender when the mere name of him made Korra scowl. She still hasn't gotten over what happened at the arena and at Narook's of course, considering the jerk bender didn't even try to apologize. He had merely stomped away in a huff when Tahno offered her to be a replacement on the team.

"Oh, I see; well, if it's anything, I'm an only child too! But I grew up with my best friend so that makes up for it. I want you and Tahno to meet her of course," she shrugged as well, still looking around yet not finding her in sight. Ah, she should hear her if she called.

The raised brow on the man's face showed he was curious but he was patient, wondering exactly what kind of best friend the Avatar would have… probably some fire bending girl, considering that the former Avatar Aang was sort of best friends with Fire Lord Zuko and seeing the girl's proficiency with the element. That made sense.

Of course, he was wrong, when the girl whistled and a large Polarbear dog bounded around the corner and pounced on him. "Well, this makes sense too, I guess," he mumbled, not realizing he had said it out loud, only noticing it when he saw the amused look on Korra's face.

"_Mingy_ meet Naga, Naga meet _Mingy_," Korra chuckled, helping the earth bender to his feet once she managed to push the behemoth off of him.

An hour later, they were somewhere in the heart of Republic City. The training grounds Tahno had reserved for them was somewhere nearby her; apparently, the captain didn't like practicing at the arena's gym viewing it as adequate as well as not liking the possibility of other teams walking in on their practices. So, a private place was rented for the Wolfbats and their sponsors, the White Falls, were more than happy to oblige.

The girl looked up at the statue of Fire Lord Zuko while Ming was off somewhere in one of the stores, buying the three (he, she and Naga) of them lunch. She was, admittedly, staring off with her head in the clouds as the great Polarbear dog decided she wanted to nap. She was only brought out of her reverie when a booming voice cut through the usual buzz of the busy city.

"Come one, come all and see Pabu the fantastic Fire Ferret as he crosses the ladder of peril, upside down!" the guy, perhaps a year or two older than himself, gasped in a rather dramatic yet silly way. He had a weird outfit as well as a weird expression on his face – although what really caught Korra's eye was the outrageous fake moustache he was sporting that the girl couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

The Fire Ferret, Pabu, paid no heed to his owner, busy with grooming its paws until the guy started whispering to the little critter. This only proved to amuse the girl even more as she worked her way from where she stood, towards the foot of the Fire Lord's statue. A round of applause was, at least, well deserved when the ferret went on its front paws, crossed the so called ladder of peril and landed with a somersault with a loud 'Ta da!' from the guy. Some passerby tossed a coin into the cup as the guy went into a spiel of gratitude. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! You are too kind, seriously too kind! You can come back here and put money right in this – okay, that's fine, that's fine. One yuan down, twenty nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine to go…" The last part was said with a sigh.

"Sooo, what do you need thirty thousand yuans for?" Korra pondered out loud, leaning forward with curiosity as she looked down at Pabu, the little thing returning the gaze with one of its own. "Name's Korra, by the way," she added with a smile at the mustachioed guy.

Pabu's owner looked up from the collection cup and did a fancy sweep of the hand and a bow, only managing to make himself a bit more ridiculous. "I am Bolin; and well, Miss Korra, the yuans are required to fund the Fantastic Fire Ferrets! So for just twenty nine, ninety nine, ninety nine, you get ringside seats to watch us in action as we kick ass and win the tournament! And maybe a date with me," he spoke with a wink.

Korra, of course, couldn't help but laugh at the guy's antics but shrugged apologetically, turning out her pockets while she did so. "Sorry dude, I don't really have any money. I could if I would and I don't think Tahno or even Ming would lend me thirty grand if I asked them," she sighed, noticing the look that swept across Bolin's face when she spoke of her teammates.

"You're with the Wolfbats?" he whispered, incredulously, almost fearfully. His eyes glanced from side to side, nervous that the members of said team might show up to take him down. It would be easy, to make him disappear, and that would certainly cripple the Fire Ferrets with only his brother and the replacement water bender girl left after Hasook had left them.

There was a roll of the eyes. "Hey, don't worry! Just because we're against each other in the ring doesn't mean we have to be out of it, right?" she said reassuringly to the guy with a friendly smile on her face. She knelt down, reaching out a hand for Pabu to stroke his head. The little ferret didn't do much except to lean into the touch.

Bolin laughed nervously but started to look chipper anyway as he nodded; "I guess you're right." He only agreed when no Wolfbat had attacked him. Still, he was a bit nervous and cautious, considering the team's… reputation. This girl seemed nice enough; could it be that she was tricked into joining the team? "But yeah, if I don't get that money, we won't be able to play in the championship. I guess your team has it covered though, huh? You're the fire bender replacement, right? I heard about that; but I was just figuring with your water tribe getup that you are a water tribe gal."

"Oh, a common mistake, that's all; not everyone has to be color coded you know? I'm a fire bender," Korra laughed nervously, crossing her arms and glancing off to the side; it wouldn't do good to out that she was the Avatar right now. Some of the Order of the White Lotus guards had been giving her curious glances ever since she got home from that match and she wondered if her name was announced over the radio. It was a blessing that Tenzin didn't watch or even listen to the sport. "But, eh, White Falls probably has it covered. I didn't know about needing to give some yuans until you told me. I hope you guys get the money though; I heard you and your brother are really good, it'd be cool if we face each other on the field!" she continued with a radiant grin.

The Fire Ferret earth bender couldn't help but grin back, seeing the look on the girl's face, as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly and nodded. "If it means seeing you on the field, than I'm sure I'll get the money!" he laughed good naturedly until panic flashed across his features again.

This made Korra look back to see Ming holding out a bulky plastic bag. The older earth bender had an unpleasant expression on his face, not exactly hostile but not exactly friendly either, when he saw who his teammate was talking with. "Got us some dumplings Korra… Hello Bolin," he mumbled, greeting the other guy with an aloof tone. Korra figured they just knew each other because they were both pro benders after all.

Bolin, nervously, gave him a lopsided and half hearted smile and nodded. "Hi Ming," he muttered back then looked at the Wolfbat's fire bender awkwardly when the girl retrieved two dumplings from the bag and handed one to him. He mumbled his thanks, looking at the snack suspiciously but didn't think too long on it – these were his favorite!

"Scho, Minghee, thirshee shoundand chuans?" Korra said with a mouth full, trying to cut the awkward air, perhaps serving to do the opposite and increased the tension between the two earth benders. This also merited a wilting gaze from the guy, telling her to chew her food properly first, Ming only refusing to verbally do so as he had his mouth full as well. She merely shrugged, grabbing another dumpling from the bag and continued eating.

Ming rolled his eyes and swallowed, looking at the scene before him with narrowed eyes and sighed. "Let me guess, you're trying to scrounge up some money for the entry fee right?" he muttered dryly, earning a meek nod from the younger man. There was a groan as he placed a hand in his pocket and took out some paper bills, unceremoniously dropping them into the paper cup with a huff. The money he had given would at least be around a thousand yuans but, from the look on the guy's face, it was as if he had just dropped some change. "You don't tell anyone – anyone – about this, especially not Tahno or your brother. Get a job or find a sponsor, don't get in trouble kid," he mumbled, his eye wandering over to the side when he grabbed Korra by the arm. There was a red car on the opposite block and he knew who owned it and didn't exactly want to be seen by them. "Come on Korra, we'll be late for training. We don't want Tahno whining…"

The girl wanted to protest, seeing as it was too early and curious to the guy's actions but only managed to choke with her mouth full as her teammate dragged her by the collar off to one side of the monument. They didn't go too far though as Ming merely stood them off to the shadow's of the statue, close enough that they could still eavesdrop on Bolin.

"What the heck, Ming?" Korra started to hiss, growing red in the face when the guy just shot her a warning glance and placed a finger up to his mouth in a shushing gesture.

The girl only did as she was told when there was the roar of an engine as a Satomobile parked in front of Bolin and a seedy looking guy stepped out, greeting the young earth bender with a crooked smile. She couldn't help wonder what was going on and why Ming pulled her away like that and why on earth the guy was eavesdropping on the two. She had managed to see when the guy, Shady Shin as Bolin had called him, dropped a thick wad of cash into the collection cup. When she looked back at her teammate, the expression on his face and the hardness in his eyes scared her.

Before she could say anything else, there was the sound of tires speeding off and Bolin was gone, taken away by the man in the red Satomobile… What's more, Pabu was left behind, wondering where his owner was taken off to. "What the heck happened?" Korra wondered, a confused expression on her face as she walked over to the little critter and held out a hand to him. Pabu sniffed, staring, before climbing up her arm and on to her shoulder; this was the nice lady who had given Bolin a dumpling. She glanced at Ming worriedly, seeing the dark look on his features. "Did you manage to catch anything of what they were saying?"

There was a grumble as the guy nodded; "That kid… I warned him, he didn't listen." He ran a hand through his hair with exasperation. "He's with the Triple Threat Triads and business with those guys only means trouble."

"Triple Threat Triads? I beat up some of those yahoos when I got into town… Why would Bolin get tangled up with them?" she muttered, her brows knitting together as she thought of the Fire Ferret earth bender. He had seemed like a nice guy, funny and nice even; why get mixed up with mafia and thugs? Did they really need money that badly?

Ming sighed, looking older than he was right now with what had happened. "Working for them means trouble, yeah, but it also means big money if you know what you're doing. This is… worrying though, to see a Triad just hiring and picking people off the streets in broad day light. There's probably a turf war of some sort and they're all getting ready for it," he explained through gritted teeth. He looked as if he was about to chase after the Triad car but shook his head and smiled lamely at Korra; "Ah, this is none of our business anyway. I tried to warn him; we shouldn't get in trouble for his mistakes."

Korra wilted, annoyed, but then grew furious when she realized something. "Hey! I'm the Avatar and part of my job description happens to mean helping people! And Bolin's a friend, even if we only met for a little while. So I'm going to save the guy whether you're coming with me or not," she told him off, arms crossing and a particularly fiery look in her eyes.

The Wolfbat earth bender looked as if he was going to smack himself too. He didn't want to get tangled up because this girl might get hurt – of course, he forgot that said girl was the Avatar, considering his and Tahno's promise to her that they wouldn't tattle on her as being such. And if she wanted to help and was going off, he rather she didn't do it alone.

"I know where to look."

* * *

**OMAKE TIME!** Is it an Omake? What is a Omake? Extra-chapter thingy? Whatever!

"_Aside from Tahno, Shaozu and Sho? No, not really. I grew up an only child," he replied with a shrug._

That he did.

Ming was the son of earth benders and proud officers under Chief Bei Fong's police force. Because of his parent's occupation as well as his father's lineage, he was a well off child – privileged even, compared to other children of his generation. He wasn't spoiled though, quite the opposite of that, as his father was a strict man who adhered to certain rules and principles. His father wanted make sure that his son was prepared to follow in his footsteps or become even better than him if he could; Ming was sent to the finest school in Republic City and was tutored under the best teachers that their connections and money could get them.

The young earth bender never opposed any of his father's choices and wishes for him. In his eyes, his father and mother were the best, heroes of this city and he wanted to be just like them. He wanted to make them proud. Ming was often praised as a hardworking and studious student, both in school and in earth bending. His parents were proud of him and of the young man he was becoming; there was always that gleam in his father's eyes that said so. He was the perfect son any parent could ever ask for. He was going to be the perfect big brother as well, perhaps, for her mother was pregnant with his little sister.

Of course, human and perfection never went hand in hand. Everything started to crumble when Ming's mother died during an investigation on Yakon. They couldn't prove it was him though, as they couldn't prove other numerous crimes on the slippery bastard. It had all happened so fast, without warning – and ever since that day, that gleam in his father's eyes was gone, only a dull void was what remained. Not only had they lost a wife and a mother, they had only lost a daughter and a sister, the woman having been five months pregnant at her death.

His father started to ask more of him, afraid that his son might meet just a bad a fate as his mother if he didn't work harder. Ming tried to meet his demands but he felt as hollow as his father was, maybe even more, with the thought that his mother would never smile at him again and – worst off, his father was no longer and never will be proud of him ever again.

He started to slack off, stayed away from home, hanged out with the wrong crowd and got in trouble with the law more than once. The earth bender hadn't crumbled to dust yet but he was desperate, confused and lost. Matters only grew worst when he was recruited for the Triple Threat Triads; he didn't need the money, he just wanted to feel alive, something that bending brought him and his father did not want him to join the police force… this was the next best thing, sort of.

It worked well enough at first, he was usually placed on small jobs. Nothing much, considering they knew who his father was. They wouldn't trust him with big jobs, figuring he might be some sort of police bug but their minds were changed eventually. Later on, he was assigned to a high profile job, guarding one of the bosses while he met with someone who owed them a big sum of money. Taking it was the worst mistake he would ever take in his life; that night was the night he killed his own father. He didn't intentionally kill his old man, Ming would never do that. It was an accident – yet he would never forgive himself.

They were swarmed by the police at the meeting place, his father among them. When they had seen each other, the disappointment and anguish on his father's face was obvious and so was the shame on his; his father didn't know of his involvement with the mafia group until now. Ming was tasked to block the way no matter what while the big bosses escaped; his father was persistent… there was a cave in at a tunnel and he never made it out.

He was desperate, lost and confused again when he thought he finally found out the answers to his questions. Then, desperation turned to anger; anger at himself and at the Triple Threat Triads. They were all scum and so was he. He left the group but didn't leave a good impression after picking a fight with the others and he was constantly targeted by Triad members if they ever saw him.

That is, until Tahno showed up.

The water bender had found him in the middle of a fight, an unfair one at that, against three Triad members. He just watched as Ming brought them down with his skills, no holds barred, no mercy, no nothing. There was no match of course, one against three, and he was beaten down to the ground. He only managed to survive when the water bender scared them away.

Tahno admired his spirit and Ming, was in a way, indebted to him. So when he invited him to Narook's, he certainly couldn't say no. Some of the principles his father had taught him back then was still there, rooted inside him somewhere.

The offer Tahno made at Narook's was quite odd though. There was a fire bender brat along with them and the boy spoke of making a pro bending team, the best the world would ever see. It was a strange ambition for him but, nonetheless, being in a pro bending team was certainly a safer job than being in the mafia. So why not?

* * *

Theenumeration: I blush. Seriously. It's not everyday you're told that your fanfic is a bit better than the original!

furrycheese521: Keeping it up right now!

Kigaroo: I like making the canon background characters interesting. :P

xAngelicxDevil: Not a bad idea!

Any reviewers interested in being cameo characters (cough Equalist in the next chapter cough)? If you are, just review with a name (that fits the LoK universe), gender and tell me which of the Wolfbats in this AU fic you like the best! I'll be picking out a few I like!

More notes: Ming is cool. But he's a big brother figure, an aniki! Still Tahnorra. But Tahno's kind of a jerk, I won't magically change that right away… these things take time. Time, I tell ya!

Yey for character development! I figured the omake thing at the end will help you guys understand a bit of why Ming reacted and spoke the way he did in this chapter and, possibly, in future chapters. This is my head canon Ming! In the future, I will be posting up head canon Shaozu and Tahno too! It's unfair that only Korra and (spoiler) Tarlok and his bro get a flashback into their childhood. Head canons and childhood flashbacks of non-Wolfbat characters too when there's a want/need for it as well.

And earth benders, in general, rock (pun not intended)! Toph, Lin, Bolin, Ming, all of them! Although I'm more of a water element myself. Also, as to why Bolin and Ming know each other, considering Bolin canonically had some history with the mafia and Ming head-canonically used to work for the Triads, there's probably at least one point where they met briefly. I need to stop letting my friends read the chapters before I publish them though. The same girl who joked about Shaozu x Korra suggested Ming x Bolin after reading this one…

But yeah, as mentioned in Korra and Bolin's exchange: not everyone has to be color coded. That's my only miff against Avatar (both Aang's and Korra's series), oh, aside from Makorra being canon (and maybe Kataang, a bit…)… Why does everyone have to be color coded? Is it like a law or something? If was a bender, I would choose another color and be like "Hah! You thought I was a –insert element here- bender because of my clothes!".

Fun fact: My head canon dictates that the Wolfbat's sponsor, the White Falls, is a makeup and selfcare company (not sure if selfcare is what its called, sorry, ESL). That explains where Tahno gets all his guyliner, shampoo, conditioner and skin care products from.


End file.
